Reversible glove and method of making same



NOV. 15, 1955 H, E, WALL 2,723,399

REVERSIBLE GLOVE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed April 50, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

Nov. 15, 1955 H. E. WALLER 2,723,399

REVERSIBLE GLOVE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 50, 1955 fla/rvZcZ E. vvc i i wag/,5.

NOV. 15, E WALLER REVERSIBLE GLOVE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 30, 1955 m IIIIII'IIIII .illullllllllll United States PatentOfiic 2,723,399 Patented Nov. 15, 1955 REVERSIBLE GLOVE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Harold E. Waller, Kewanee, lll., assignor to The Boss Manufacturing Company, Kewanee, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 30, 1953, Serial No. 352,203

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-165) My invention relates to a reversible glove and method of making same.

For many years manufacturers of work gloves have made and sold gloves which can be used on either hand. When such a glove is worn on the right hand one side of the glove will constitute the palm, whereas when the glove is worn on the left hand the other side of the glove will constitute the palm. Such gloves are known in the trade as reversible gloves, and the primary purpose of such gloves has been to prolong wear and reduce the cost of gloves to workmen and other users.

Such reversible gloves have been satisfactory for certain purposes, but have not proved satisfactory where the workman is continually gripping articles between the thumb and fingers. In such use the principal wear occurs on opposed areas adjacent the end'of the thumb and the end of the index finger. While these opposed areas are somewhat different when different sides of the glove are utilized as the palm, the two sets of opposed areas have portions in common, and, when these common portions are worn through, the glove becomes useless and its life cannot be extended by reversing it, i. e., by shifting it from one hand to the other.

The foregoing disadvantage of reversible gloves has long been recognized, and numerous attempts have been made over a period of many years in an effort to overcome or eliminate this difficulty. Such efforts have been unsuccessful and no one has heretofore produced a satisfactory and inexpensive reversible glove which does not have the foregoing disadvantage.

An object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive, comfortable, convenient, and altogether satisfactory reversible glove which avoids this difficulty of the prior art. 6

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved method of making such a glove.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one side of a reversible glove embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the other side of the glove of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 show successive stages in the act of gripping a small article between the thumb and index finger;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the index finger taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the ring finger taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showinga modified form of my invention;

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the index finger taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a reversible glove of the two-thumb type to which my invention has been applied; and

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing another modified form of my invention.

While the purpose of a reversible glove is to provide a glove in which either side may be used as the palm or face of the glove, it will be convenient for purposes of description to describe one side of the glove as the face and the other side as the back, and this procedure will be adopted in this application. It is to be expressly understood, however, that both sides of the glove are adapted to be used as the face and that it is my intention that both sides of the glove are to be so used.

In Figs. 1 to 6 I have illustrated a glove comprising wrist portion A, hand portion B, thumb C, and fingers D, E, F and G. In the particular embodiment shown, the wrist A is formed of knitted material, but it is to be understood that this portion of the glove may be formed of any other suitable material and may be long or short, tight-fitting or loose-fitting, or of any other desired construction.

The hand portion B of the glove is illustrated as being formed of two pieces of fabric 10 and 12. For convenience, the side of the glove formed by the fabric piece 10 will be referred to as the back, and the side of the glove formed by the fabric piece 12 will be referred to as the face. The fabric piece 10 also forms the back of the fingers G, F, E and D, whereas the fabric piece 12 forms the front part of fingers D and G only. The front portions of fingers E and F are formed by a separate fabric piece 14.

The thumb C is formed of fabric pieces 16 and 18. While I have referred to the several pieces 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 as being composed of fabric, it is to be understood that some or all of these pieces may be made of leather, or any other suitable material or combinations of different materials.

The pieces of fabric or other suitable material forming the glove may be of any usual or suitable shape and cut, and it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to a gunn type of finger construction or to any other particular type of finger construction, or number, shape, or arrangement of the various parts of the glove. However, it is desirable to have those pieces of fabric or other material which form the thumb C and index finger D so shaped and cut as to provide a slightly wider thumb and index finger than those provided by the conventional glove. The various pieces of fabric may be secured together by conventional stitching like that indicated by reference numeral 20 in Figs. 5 and 6.

After the glove has been otherwise completed, I form a welt or welt seam 22 around the ends of the thumb and index finger, and along the adjacent edges of the thumb and forefinger by a line of stitching 24 beginning at a point 26 on the outside edge of the thumb and continuing uninterruptedly around the end of the thumb, down the inside edge of the thumb, up the adjacent edge of the index finger D, around the end of this finger, and down the other side to the point 28.

This welt 22 constitutes a novel, inexpensive, and satisfactory means for insuring that completely different areas of the glove will come in contact with an object when the glove is reversed. In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown successive steps in the act of grasping an article 30 between the thumb and one or more fingers. In the initial contact illustrated in Fig. 3, the article 30 is being contacted by the welt 22 at points 32 and 34. This initial engagement of the welt with the article turns or shifts the thumb and index finger parts of the,

article isrlimited to the thumb and forefinger, or is extended. to. include one. or. moreadditional fingers. as .well.

as the palm of the hand.

Ordinarily, in a gripping action of this kind the areas 36 an'd 38 Willibecome-worn through before othen portions .of the gloves When: either area- 36' or '38 is worn through; the: gloveinay'be reversed to provide distinct andi unworn areas for gripping articles, such as indicated at 30. In this manner, my invention substantially doubles: the lifeof a' reversible glove when used by work men who are-constantly gripping" articles between the thumband rfingers.

As previously stated, the pieces of which the thumb and forefingerare made' areprefrably cut so that these pieces have thumband forefinger portions which are slightly widen thanin a-- conventional glove. width is to compensate for the reduction in the fingerand thumb receiving; space producedby the line of stitching24; so thatthecompleted'glove embodying my invention has the same space. for accommodating the thumb and forefinger as does a conventional glove.

In Figs. 3' and-4 theaction of the welt 22 is-to turn the end'portions of the thumb andforefinger of the glove in the directions indicated by the arrows; In Fig. 4' the end result is slightly exaggeratedfor purposes of illustration,- it being only-necessary thatthe welt 22 turn:

the end portions'of the thumb and forefinger sufiiciently so that one-set of areas engages the workpiece 30when one sideof the glove is-utilized as the face or palm, and a-completely different set of areas engage the workpiece when the other side of the glove is utilized as the face or palm.

In Figs; 7 and 8 I have shown a modified form of my invention in whicha rib*or-'Welt-40' of leather, relatively stiff fabric, or other suitable material, performs the function ofthe welt seam 2Z of theprevious-embodiment; This Welt 40 may be incorporated in the glove by-se curingan edge of this stripin the seam20' which connects the pieces of'fabric forming the thumb and torefinger: The rib or welt 40 functions inthe same manner as-the seam type of' welt'22both providing outwardly extending flanges and no' further description of-this modification of my inventionis deemed necessary.

In the embodiment of Fig: 9, I'have illustrated my invention as being applied to a reversible glove of the two-thumb type. In-thistypeof glove eachthumb S and' 52' has anarea 54' adapted to engage workpieces gripped' between thethurnb'and forefinger, whereas only a singleindex finger 56 is provided to cooperate with the two thumbs 50 and 52.- separate areas-ofthe index-finger 56 will cooperate with thetwo thumbs'ingripping'workpieces; the index finger is provided with a welt' 58 which isillustrated as. extending from" a point60 adjacent the base of' the thumbs SOand 52 to apoint62 atthe end of'the indexfinger.

The welt 58 may be eitherin the form ofa' welt'seam' like-that-of Figs: 1 to 6-inclusive', or in'the form of a rib like that of Figs. 7 and8, but is' illustrated as being ofthe welt seam type and formed by a line of stitching 64. While thisline of stitching isillustrated' as terminating at the point 62,.this stitching andthe welt seam formed thereby could continue further down the other side of manner indicated' by'the embodiment of Fig; 10.

It will be understood that the two-thumb reversible glove-may be of any-usual or suitable constructionand" composed of any conventional or suitable material or' combinations of materials. In- Fig. I have shown This extra In order to insure that a further form of my invention applied to a reversible glove .of..the. one-.thumbt type... In. this. form .of .my. inven: tion the glove is of the usual construction in which the piece of fabric is folded upon itself to form the palm and back of the glove, the front of the index finger 72 and little finger 74, and the backs of all four fingers 72, 74, 76 and 78. The frontsbf the middle fingers 76 and 78 areformed-by a-single piece of-.fabric.80,

The piece of' fabric 70; is. folded. along the line 82 and the opposite edges sewed together in accordance with conventiona'lpractice; The": thumb 84? may be of' the usual'one=piece construction=and the wrist- 86"may;-be of the knitted type, or of any other suitable construction andconfiguration.

In this form of my invention a line of stitching 86 extends along the adjacent'edges of the thumb and forefinger to form a Welt or welt seam 83. It will be noted that in this form of my invention the welt does not extend across" thewendsof thethumb and' forefinger, as in;the previous embodiments, since it is optional to terminate the welt adjacent: the inner corners of the thumb and forefinger, or extend'the welt therebeyond'as in the previous embodiments:

While I have" illustrated and described only a fewscribed; brut includes all modifications; variations andequivalents coming within. the scope of the appended claims.

I claimzi l; A reversible gloveofithe class'described, comprising'amhand porti'on, finger portions, and a thumbportion disposed-Kin"symmetrical relation to:a plane passing througln all of said finger portions to thereby impart reversibility to said glove; and flanges associated with and extending outwardly from the-adjacent sides of the thumb portion andindex fingers portioninsaid plane dividing said thumb portion and index finger portion into2s'ets of f'rontand back.- working areas,- said flanges being: of." a width sufiicient to cause said sets of front or back Working areas selectively, upon right or lefthand wear; to engage an article gripped between the thumb portion and-the index finger portion.

2. A reversible: glove-of. the class described, comprising handt portions, finger portions, and thumb portions disposed in-syrnmetricalrelation on-opposite-sides of'a planeapassingthrough;all ofsaid fingers. to=thereby impart reversibility to said glove; and-a ilangeassociated with. andlextendingoutwardly from the index finger in said planena'nd on:the':side' of said indexfinger disposed or back working. areavselectively, upon rightor left-hand wear;.to: engage: an" article gripped between one of said thumb portions and said index finger portion.

References Citedinithe filez-of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 748,187 Hollenbeok Dec. 29, 1903 1,079,647 Hartmann Nov. 25, 1913 111431193 Urwick June: 15, 1915 1, 254578" Carson .Jan. 22, 1918 1;418',103 Smith May 30,. 1922 1,832,838 Raidt Nov. 17, 1931 1,885,446 Iohanson Nov. 1, 1932 2,216,242 Kirchner et a1. Oct.v 1, 1940 2298,9 59" McCIurken Oct. 13,.1942 

